I guess the newness of living in a new place as eroded and become the despondency of finding oneself in a place where one truly doesn't fit in. I pretty much dislike most aspects of life here, from the crappy drivers to the yokel attitude that's pervasive here (even on the radio). I was pretty disappointed with the concert hall as well. Even with most things being "bigger in Texas", the symphony concert hall isn't big enough for the whole orchestra; the piano is squeezed into one of the "entrance areas" next to the stage.
Anyway, the latest of the things I've gotten grumpy about is the obstinate medical receptionists wanting all your info before you even show up at the office. (And then of course you get to fill out all those forms again!) I was trying to schedule my annual check-up today (which I'm actually late for, but I digress). My health insurance company has stayed the same but I know the numbers aren't quite the same. Anyway, after getting all this information from me (SSN and everything!), I tell the woman that I have the old card with the numbers on it, but haven't received the new card yet and I can bring a printout with the new numbers on it when I come in for the appointment. Apparently that wasn't good enough for her, because she goes into a rant about how they need all that information before I show up for the appointment (I didn't have access to the right computer system to get the updated group number for her). Huh? When I went to the eye doctor recently they were able to make a phone call and get the information they needed. I got so frustrated I just told her since she wasn't going to work with me I could go see someone else and to have a nice day.
I mean how difficult do they have to make it? How hard is it to just get the insurance information when I come in for the appointment? She didn't even recognize my Fortune 500 employer when she asked me who I worked for.
Ugh!
Maybe when they built the concert hall they were thinking honky tonk piano..
ReplyDeletePeople have become too reliant on technology and are in so much of a hurry these days that the need to be efficient actually inhibits their ability to achieve efficiency.
ReplyDeleteSorry your doctor appointment was so frustrating. Shop around for a good one that's going to be nice and treat you fairly and not just make you a number. Afterall, you pay so much for health care down there. You should be treated better than that.
Don - Ha! I think it's a relatively recent building (early 1990s). But it is strange how cramped the stage area looks to me.
ReplyDeleteJules - I ended up going to a doctor who was good, but his office was kind of shady. They charged me my copay (which is waived for the yearly appointment), and then when I got the insurance paperwork back they had charged the insurance for a "medical history". Which I had never seen before, so I think I'm not going to go back to that doctor because they weren't up front with me (I had only asked for my annual well-woman exam). Kind of a pity, because you can check your test results online and that was convenient.